My neck feels uncomfortable and a little swollen

The neck is uncomfortable and a little swollen. This situation may be caused by physical weakness and low immunity. If this is the case, drink more water, pay more attention to rest, and strengthen exercise to improve physical fitness. It may also be caused by cervical spondylosis. If it is caused by cervical spondylosis, there will be symptoms of dizziness and soreness. At this time, you need to go to the hospital for relevant examinations to determine whether it is cervical spondylosis. Treatment is based on diagnosis. So what kind of disease is cervical spondylosis? How to treat it?

Cervical spondylosis, also known as cervical spondylosis, is a general term for cervical osteoarthritis, hypertrophic cervical spondylitis, cervical radiculitis, and cervical disc herniation. It is a disease based on degenerative pathological changes. It is mainly caused by long-term strain of the cervical spine, bone hyperplasia, or herniated disc, ligament thickening, which leads to compression of the cervical spinal cord, nerve roots or vertebral arteries, resulting in a series of clinical syndromes of functional disorders. It manifests as vertebral instability and loosening; nucleus pulposus protrusion or extrusion; bone spur formation; ligament hypertrophy and secondary spinal canal stenosis, etc., which stimulate or compress adjacent nerve roots, spinal cord, vertebral arteries, cervical sympathetic nerves and other tissues, causing a series of symptoms and signs. Cervical spondylosis can be divided into: cervical type cervical spondylosis, nerve root type cervical spondylosis, spinal cord type cervical spondylosis, vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis, sympathetic nerve type cervical spondylosis, and esophageal compression type cervical spondylosis.

Treatment of cervical spondylosis

1. Medication

Analgesics, sedatives, and vitamins (such as B1, B12) can be used selectively, which can have a certain effect on relieving symptoms. Supportive care with glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate can be tried. Glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are clinically used to treat osteoarthritis in various parts of the body. These chondroprotective agents have a certain degree of anti-inflammatory and anti-cartilage decomposition effects. Basic research shows that glucosamine can inhibit the production of inflammatory factors by spinal nucleus pulposus cells and promote the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, a component of the intervertebral disc cartilage matrix. Clinical studies have found that injecting glucosamine into the intervertebral disc can significantly reduce lower back pain caused by degenerative disc disease and improve spinal function. Case reports suggest that oral glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate can reverse disc degeneration to some extent.

2. Exercise therapy

When the symptoms of various types of cervical spondylosis are basically relieved or become chronic, medical gymnastics can be started to promote further elimination of symptoms and consolidate the therapeutic effect. During the acute onset of symptoms, local rest is recommended and increased exercise stimulation should not be increased. Exercise is contraindicated when there are more obvious or progressive symptoms of spinal cord compression, especially cervical spine bending exercises. In patients with vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis, the neck rotation movement should be gentle and slow, and the amplitude should be appropriately controlled.

3. Traction therapy

In the past, "traction" was one of the preferred methods for treating cervical spondylosis. However, in recent years, it has been found that many patients with cervical spondylosis have not had their cervical spondylosis alleviated but aggravated after using "traction", especially those who have used "traction" for a long time.

Traction not only fails to promote the recovery of the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, but on the contrary, traction straightens the cervical spine and weakens the physiological curvature of the cervical spine. Therefore, traction therapy should be used with caution for cervical spondylosis.

4. Manual massage therapy

It is a more effective treatment for cervical spondylosis. Its therapeutic effect is to relieve tension and spasm of the cervical and shoulder muscles, restore cervical spine activity, and loosen nerve root and soft tissue adhesions to relieve symptoms. Gravity massage and reduction are generally prohibited for spinal cervical spondylosis, otherwise it will easily aggravate the symptoms and may even lead to paraplegia. Even if the early symptoms are not obvious, surgical treatment is generally recommended.

5. Physical therapy

In the treatment of cervical spondylosis, physical therapy can play a variety of roles. It is generally believed that iontophoresis, ultrasound, ultraviolet light or intermittent current can be used in the acute phase; after the pain is relieved, ultrasound, iodine ion penetration, induction electricity or other heat therapy can be used.

6. Warm compress

This treatment can improve blood circulation, relieve muscle spasms, and eliminate swelling to reduce symptoms, and help stabilize the affected vertebra after manual treatment. This method can be used for local external application with hot towels and hot water bottles. Warm compress treatment is not suitable for patients in the acute stage when the pain symptoms are severe.

7. Surgery

If there is severe compression of the nerve roots or spinal cord, surgical treatment can be performed if necessary.